Fabrication of Polytetrafluoroethylene Coated Micron Aluminium with Enhanced Oxidation

Aluminium (Al) powders of micron size are widely applied to energetic materials as a high energy fuel. However, its energy conversion efficiency is generally low due to low oxidation activity. In this paper, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) coating layer with both protection and activation action was successfully introduced onto the surface of Al via adsorption and following heat treatment. The preparation conditions were optimized and the thermal activity of this core-shell composite material was studied. The potential enhancement mechanism for Al oxidation was proposed. The results showed that PTFE powders deformed into membrane on the surface of Al after the sintering process. This polymer shell could act as an effective passivation layer protecting internal Al from oxidation during aging. The reduction in metallic Al of Al/PTFE was decreased by 84.7%, more than that in original spherical Al when the aging time is 60 days. Moreover, PTFE could react with Al resulting in a thin AlF₃ layer, which could promote the destruction of Al₂O₃ shell. Thus, PTFE could enhance oxidation activity of micro-Al. The conversion of Al was increased by a factor of 1.8 when heated to 1100 °C. Improved aging-resistant performance and promoted oxidation activity of Al could potentially broaden its application in the field of energetic materials.